A growing number of faculty at CSCC are using free and open textbooks, called open
educational resources (OER), to replace expensive commercial textbooks for their courses.
UNESCO defines OER as “teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital
or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open
license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others
with no or limited restrictions.” With OER, faculty can provide quality, customized
course material for students, free for all on the first day of class.
Because student success and equity are important at CSCC, faculty are encouraged to
consider OER for their courses. Through the college’s OER initiative called “Open
Texts at Columbus State,” faculty committing to adopt, adapt, or create OER for their
course may be provided with reassigned time to do the work. Library staff will coordinate
these collaborative projects, bringing in instructional designers, disability services,
and the bookstore to support faculty at the appropriate points in the project timeline.
Faculty participating in the initiative are paired with an OER Faculty Fellow who
provides consultation for the project.
To find out more about OER at Columbus State, visit the library’s OER page.